Five Interludes

by James Sillwood

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This edition is no longer available.

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28 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 27, 2014

About the author

Living in the peace and quiet of Southern Brittany, James Sillwood is something of an enigma. Being the first to admit he might appear to be reclusive, he readily acknowledges the peaceful surroundings at his cottage inspire an atmosphere conducive to writing.
James has not always lived such a settled life. Growing up with a father in the Armed Forces he moved around frequently as a child; living in Cyprus, Aden and various locations in the UK and, at the age of sixteen, he joined a merchant shipping company which traded along the River Amazon in Brazil. Since those early years travel has become a major feature throughout his life; living in Amsterdam and Portugal with frequent visits to the West Indies and a nomadic period setting up home in an old VW camper van. During these travels he has taken on a variety of jobs including; dishwashing, cleaning and teaching English.
After an itinerant early life, James has settled in France and now divides his time between writing and music. As an accomplished pianist he plays regularly at a hotel restaurant in Carnac and at other venues with a Latin jazz quartet. It is here, at his secluded home in Brittany, that Amatore's Restaurant has been completed. This book, along with West Quarry Farm and two other novels currently in progress, have been long term projects; the first ideas for the plot and characters taking shape well over ten years ago. It has only been in the last year or so that he has been able to focus on finishing this work.
When taking a break from performing and writing, James takes a keen interest in Breton culture and local history, enjoys trying out regional recipes, visits local markets and explores the surrounding area.

Reviews

[Bianca Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this because I had enjoyed Amatore's restaurant so much. This is very different, consisting of five short stories. All of them contain surprises and things are not what they seem to be. I liked Night Reception in which Phil is not sure exactly what happens during the night he spends at the hotel. Cliff Hanger's homecoming was unexpected as I thought I could see the way the story was going to turn out, but the ending is unpredictable. An air of suspense runs through all these stories and I think the author wants to make the reader think and look deeper than the surface. Things are not always what they seem to be in life and I think this is what these stories are trying to show us.
Very interesting and thought-provoking.

[Caroline Jayson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this after reading and enjoying Amatore's Restaurant by the same author. I love short stories, always look out for them and was not disappointed when I read these. These five stories are all about different subjects. Comedy Hour is about a housekeeper who is fed up with the old lady she looks after. Beautiful Land is a story with a surprise ending, you won't expect what happens. My favourite is Night Reception, a creepy story set in a old hotel which I always think are scary places anyway. It reminded me of The Shining. Cliff Hanger's Homecoming is a happy story and made me smile because of the ending. The last story, Neighbours, is sad but leaves you wondering what actually happened. These stories have a lot of depth to them and are all very interesting and I really enjoyed reading them. I just wish they were longer.

[S.E. Isaac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazingly written. I can't believe the details of each character that was thought out. Well done, Mr. Sillwood